In 2008 a group of parents banded together to create the Costa Verde International School. Their children were just old enough to move beyond the preschool they had attended and there were few viable options. The local public school was plagued with issues of overcrowding, lack of second language support, absence of learning materials, limited hours, and underpaid and undertrained teachers. Other options were available in Bucerias (30 minutes away) and Puerto Vallarta (45 mintues away), but the parents all believed the 30-45 minute drive thru the winding hills of the jungle every day was potentially dangerous and certainly more time than they wanting their children in the car each day. It simply didn't feel right!

Given the philanthropic nature of the founders, they did not want an elitist private school. The corporation that was created to start the school was done as an“associadad civil” *SOCIEDAD CIVIL(similar to a non-profit corporation in other countries) in order to ensure that all profits the school produced would be put directly back into education. They wanted the school to give back to the community by establishing an extremely high rate of scholarships for locals and by spreading a vision of ecology to its students and families. Future plans were created to include a Community Center and a Sustainable Resource Center. These plans are still part of the vision of the school!

The founders enlisted an expert in school administration, Melody, to ensure the school met all the rigid Mexican education regulations. Adrianna was assigned as Director for the budding school and worked with Melody to hire teachers, train staff, create administrative procedures, implement curriculum and standards. They were crucial in developing the ecological and humanitarian aspects of the school.

However, another hurdle lay in front of the founders. The donated site they had chosen to start building on was not given the zoning permission required. Eventually, a temporary site was found, the current location at Avenida Revolucion #3, and work began remolding the existing structures into classrooms. Without the presence of an investor, the school had to rely on its grass roots support. Fundraising began immediately and there was overwhelming support from the community and future CVIS families. The Founders were able to give the final generous financial push to get the doors open by the beginning of the school year in 2008.

In the fall of 2008, during the first week of school there were approximately 35 students split among the 6 different classrooms from pre-k to the 4/5/6 combination class. By the end of the first year the school boasted double that number, 75 students. Over the next few years the population rose slightly to 80, 90, 92, and then in 2012 with the opening of our middle school, numbers went even higher. In 2013-14, just over 130 students attended CVIS, and in 2014-2015, there were approximately 160 students enrolled.